A big thank-you to everyone that helped us make it through the first round of the EnergyShare funding competition thanks to a burst of activity driven by our supporters.

We were amazed that so many people got on board asking friends, neighbours and colleagues to support our plans for Jordan Dam Hydro by signing up to our EnergyShare group. After one generous supporter surprised us with a slot on Radio Sheffield we were almost the most popular group! The competition was so close that it had people in the office checking the latest scores during every break. We had a close race with Hexham Hydro, in the end finishing in a comfortable second place with over 650 supporters.

We’ve asked EnergyShare (run by British Gas, River Cottage and Friends of the Earth amongst others) for £150,000 towards the costs for Jordan Dam Hydro.  We need this money to complement the £250,000 we are aiming to raise from our community share offer in the autumn.

The 100 organisations that have made it through have about a month to submit their funding applications and gather more supporters. Around 10 groups will then be selected to go to another public vote. If you haven’t already done so, please follow the link and add your support!